Measurement of the triple-differential cross section of Z+jet production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

Abstract

A measurement is presented of the triple-differential production cross section of Z/$γ^*$($\to$ $μμ$)+jet events using proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The data, collected in the years 2016$-$2018, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. The cross section is measured as a function of the transverse momentum of the muon pair, the boost in rapidity of the center-of-mass system of the muon pair and the leading jet with respect to the laboratory frame, and half of their absolute rapidity separation. This choice of observables ensures sensitivity to the scattering angle in the center-of-mass frame and the fractional momenta of the interacting partons. After unfolding for detector effects in all three dimensions simultaneously, the results are compared with predictions at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics corrected for electroweak and nonperturbative effects. This measurement provides valuable information towards characterizing the partonic structure of the proton and determining the strong coupling.